This fondant recipe is a favorite amongst hobby bakers and professional bakers alike. Soft, smooth, easy to. work with and so delicious! This fondant recipe is so good you won't ever have to buy expensive fondant again.
My fondant recipe (LMF fondant) was one of the first ever published back in 2010 back when I was still Artisan Cake Company and is still my most shared recipe.
Fondant is basically the edible playdough your eight-year-old self always wanted. If regular fondant is edible playdough then marshmallow fondant is edible clay. It's much more versatile, easier to use and much tastier (I don't recommend you eat clay though).
Marshmallow Fondant vs Regular Fondant
When I first started cake decorating as a hobby in 2008, the only fondant I knew about was Wilton. I didn't even know other brands of fondant existed. I didn't know it was hard to use because it was all I was used to. I just assumed it took 2-3 tries to cover a cake. This was also before social media and facebook groups so most of my caking came from pure struggle.
The first time ever attempted to make fondant was out of pure necessity. I had took on a last minute order and suddenly found myself without enough fondant to get me through my project! Cue panic mode! I looked up a recipe on how to make fondant and it required a ton of cooking and ingredients I didn't have. Ok strike one. I checked another "easy homemade fondant" recipe that only required two ingredients. Marshmallows and powdered sugar. EPIC FAIL. It cracked, tore and was really oily? Not sure how that is even possible. In desperation, I combined the failed fondant with about ½ pound of leftover wilton fondant. I mixed it up, rolled it out and was AMAZED at how easily it covered the cake! No tearing, no pock marks, no bubbles! And that's how my famous fondant recipe was born.
For even better results, try putting this fondant over the top of our white cake recipe and see how delicious the two work together.
Why Are You Adding Fondant To Fondant?
I get that question a lot. I get it. It seems a little backward to add fondant to a fondant recipe but hear me out.
It is possible to make marshmallow fondant without adding the pre-made fondant BUT it won't be as stretchy. It just won't. I know lot's of people who make marshmallow fondant without pre-made but it just doesn't perform as well and you're here to learn about the BEST homemade fondant out there right?
The reason for adding in the pre-made fondant is to improve the workability of the homemade fondant and you're basically making a cheap batch of fondant that may not perform or taste very good into a larger batch of high-quality, super yummy fondant.
What Is Fondant Made Of?
Store bought fondant can be made of many things but in general, it's made from sugar, flavorings and some sort of gum (to make it stretchy). Depending on the exact combination, your fondant texture can range from soft and sticky to chewy or even tough! I often tell anyone who says they don't like the taste of fondant that just likes cheap grocery store chocolate compared to couverture, quality matters. Not all fondant is made the same!
Anyone can tell you that good fondant DOES exist.
Marshmallow fondant doesn't have that many ingredients. Marshmallows provide the main structure. Marshmallows contain mostly sugar and gelatin. A little bit of vegetable shortening helps the fondant from drying out. The best part is that LMF works best when you use really cheap marshmallows which brings the price per batch down even further.
Does Fondant Really Taste Bad?
Fondant is one of those things that my clients used to tell me they HATED right before a wedding cake tasting. I would smile and nod and say "ok" but I knew that once they tasted my homemade marshmallow fondant recipe (dubbed LMF by fans) I would have them hooked. Nothing was more satisfying than handing them that little cutout of fondant and seeing the look on their face go from "I'm definitely not going to like this" to pure shock, then a little more chewing, a big smile, then finally "OMG this is really good!"
BOOM.
My marshmallow fondant has been my secret weapon for years and now it can be yours too.
Easy Fondant Recipe For Beginners
So you want to work with fondant but you're scared! I get it! A lot of beginners are nervous to work with fondant because they have heard how difficult it can be to work with! But you know what? The secret to success really is in making it yourself. If you are getting cracking, tearing, elephant skin, pockmarks, bubbles or even dryness, you're probably using store-bought fondant that is just plain bad.
If you really want to learn all about the basics of decorating cakes you can watch our series on Sugar Geek Show and if that doesn't hook you, our wedding cake basics series will!
This recipe is easy to make, doesn't take any fancy ingredients and works best right after you make it (still warm).
Can You Make Fondant Without Marshmallows?
One of the coolest things that ever came from my LMF recipe has probably been DKF (Danettes Kosher Fondant). My friend Danette can't eat gelatin so she devised a fondant recipe that is just as easy to make as LMF but uses marshmallow fluff instead of cheap marshmallows. It works just as well and is kosher!
Tips
Here are some other tips for working with homemade fondant. You can learn more about the basics of cake decorating in our basic cake decorating series.
- Roll your fondant thin. ⅛" is a good place to be so that your fondant doesn't tear, you can get those sharp edges and you get the most out of one batch.
- Chill your cakes before you cover them. Make sure your buttercream or ganache is nice and cold (but not frozen) before you cover the cake for best results.
- Roll your fondant out bigger than you need. A common beginner mistake is rolling out the fondant too small and then you get tons of ruffles and tears around the base of the cake. If you roll out a bigger piece, it practically covers itself.
- Condition your fondant before you use it. Unless you just made it, then always warm your fondant and knead it well until it's nice and stretchy. Cold fondant likes to tear.
- If you have multiple tiers to cover, cover the largest one first and make your way down to the smallest to get the most out of your fondant. One batch of LMF will cover a 10"-8"-6" round with a little bit leftover if you roll it out to ⅛" thick.
How Do You Color Fondant?
Once you master making your delicious homemade fondant recipe, you might want to color your fondant recipe. The key here is making sure you don't use too much food coloring. If you use too much it could cause ruin the consistency of your fondant and it will look like it it has little holes in it.
If you want a light color of fondant you can simply add a little color to your white fondant but if you want a super bright color or dark colors like black fondant or red fondant then you need to add the color during the process of making it for best results.
Tools
Kitchenaid mixer When I first started decorating, I had a simple second-hand KitchenAid. That's all you really need! This recipe works best when made in the classic size.
How To Make Fondant
- Microwave 1 lb of marshmallows in 30-second bursts until fully melted
- Add your water and pour melted marshmallows into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached
- Add in your vegetable shortening
- Start adding in all your powdered sugar one cup at a time, leave one cup out
- Let your fondant mix on low until smooth, this can take 5 minutes or so
- Scrape the fondant out of the bowl with a spatula into your bowl of remaining powdered sugar
- Knead the mixture until all the powdered sugar is incorporated
- Heat up your store bought fondant for 30 seconds and add it to the marshmallow fondant
- Knead until fondant can be stretched like taffy without breaking
To make this recipe, you'll need a little store bought fondant. It doesn't have to be Wilton but that's what I have available here and is super cheap BUT you can get it for even cheaper if you use a coupon. I get my fondant from either Jo-Anns or Michaels and there is always a coupon either online or in the app. You're going to want to buy the big box (5 lbs) and then use a coupon to get 40% off. You can sign up to get coupons right in the app or on the website. Each 5 lb box will make FOUR batches of fondant and is much cheaper to buy the big box than to buy one small box.
You can also buy fondant on Amazon and sometimes it's cheaper than buying it in person even with a coupon and you get free shipping with Amazon Prime.
Next thing is the marshmallows. I buy mine from Winco but if you don't have a Winco, just look for the cheap store brand marshmallows. Jet-puff tends to be too tough for me and dry. You'll need a 1 lb bag. At my Winco one bag costs .87!
Those are the main ingredients of making marshmallow fondant that tastes amazing and doesn't tear or get dried out. If you have a question go ahead and leave it in the comments for me and don't forget to watch the video in the recipe to see how I make my marshmallow fondant recipe.
Other recipes you'll love
The best vanilla cake recipe
How to cover a cake in fondant
Easy buttercream frosting recipe
Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 32 oz powdered sugar sifted (also called icing sugar, confectionary sugar)
- 16 oz marshmallows WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, and Campfire brands work best
- 20 oz Wilton fondant Satin Ice fondant will also work
- 2 tablespoon warm water For dark colors, use 1 tablespoon warm water and 1 tablespoon food color gel
- 4 oz vegetable shortening Also called white vegetable fat, trex, copha
Instructions
How to make fondant
- Sift the powdered sugar and set aside in a large bowl.
- Place vegetable shortening in a stand mixer bowl.
- Heat marshmallows for 40 seconds in the microwave on high (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
- Place marshmallows back into microwave and heat for another 30 seconds (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
- Heat marshmallows (last time!) for 30 seconds in the microwave (or on stove top).Marshmallows should be ooey-gooey at this point and ready to be added to the mixer bowl. Pour your water on top of the marshmallows to get them to release from the sides of the bowl. Pour into bowl with vegetable shortening
- Turn stand mixer on lowest setting (setting 1 on Kitchenaid stand mixers) with dough hook attachmentAdd in half of your sifted powdered sugar, a measuring cup at a time, and let mix for 2 minutes. It will be really rough looking at first
- Don't stop mixing until it's sticking to the sides of the bowl and looks smooth. Add in another cup of powdered sugar.
- Pull fondant off the dough hook attachment by putting vegetable shortening on your fingers and pulling it off the hook.
- Take the soft mixture out of the bowl and put it into the large bowl with the rest of the powdered sugar.
- Warm the Wilton fondant in the microwave for 40 seconds and add to the large bowl with the powdered sugar and marshmallow mix.
- Knead until powdered sugar, marshmallows and Wilton fondant is mostly incorporated. You may not use all of the powdered sugar depending on your climate and that is completely fine.
- Pull fondant like taffy until it is stretchy and smooth. If there are still rough spots or it's tearing, put everything back in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to make it really hot and pull like taffy with shortening on your hands until it pulls without breaking
- Store in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. Fondant will keep for months in a zip-lock bag. To use again, reheat and knead well until stretchy before each use. You can add color as desired but for dark colors, you should add them during the mixing process or you could get a sticky mess.
Video
Nutrition
alyssa piraux says
I LOVE YOUR FONDANT RECIPE!!!!! I just need to know how much you fondant will cover on the cake I´m making. I´m making a 12 inch, a 10 inch cake, a rice krispie treat ball that needs to be covered in fondant and a little peice of cardboard that needs to be covered with fondant. Will that cover that much cake? If I do maske to batches will It be to much?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would do a double batch for that much 🙂
Annie says
Is cost the only reason you would not use pre-colored fondant? I have some pre-colored Wilton that I got on clearance and I'm wondering if there's any reason to not use them in this recipe. Thank you so much!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can use it but I'm not 100% sure it will work the same 😀 I always use white
Holly McNamara says
Hi, I am going to be making an all-white wedding cake in the next few months, and I'm going to do a few practise runs with your LMF fondant recipe.
How white is your fondant? Is it whiteish-yellow colour? Is there a way I can "whiten" up the fondant to make it a really stark-white colour?
Thank you in advance!
The Sugar Geek Show says
It depends on the marshmallows you use but yes you can add white food coloring to make it whiter
Jenn says
I made your recipe two weeks ago for my daughter's bday. I saved the remainder of the white fondant in a tight bag like you suggested. I have to make a bus cake doe my son tomorrow. do you suggest I add food colouring to the already made fondant? I also bought 500 grams of store bought yellow but the problem is I need 1.5 kg of yellow fondant. do I simply mix the store bought yellow into my own 1 kg?
please advise!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can color previously made fondant and yes you can mix fondant together.
Jenn says
I love your recipe and made it a few weeks ago for my daughter's cake. it was white. today I need to make a yellow bus cake for my son (along with many other colours). Can I simply add food colouring to the batch of white I made for my daughter a few weeks ago? or do I have to make it from start again? I bought some yellow store bought fondant. can I incorporate that into my white homemade fondant along with some food colouring? please advise!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can color previously made fondant any color you like except dark colors like dark blue, black, purple or red
Chastity Hart says
If I'm making the cakes the night before with buttercream followed by fondant finish, how should I store the cakes? I was told not to put mmf in the refrigerator
The Sugar Geek Show says
ALWAYS chill your cakes. Always. The fondant will get a tiny bit sticky but it does not hurt the cake
Denise says
New to fondant-
Can i use this with molds? I want to use the baby mold for a baby shower and was researching fondant and gumpaste (50/50)
If i can make and use what do you suggest ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can, I add a little tylose powder to my fondant (about 1 tsp per cup of fondant) to stiffen it up a bit.
Sora Strife says
Hi, I'm trying to make this in a few weeks but I don't have a stand mixer or the money for one, can a hand-held mixer be used instead? (I know it'll probably kill my hand, but if I can I will.)
The Sugar Geek Show says
It will kill your hand mixer. You can do it by hand but it requires a lot of pulling and stretching to get it to the right consistency
Rebecca says
Can the fondant covered cake be left out room temperature or is it better to refrigerate? If refrigerate, how long take out before serving? Thank you.
Nichole says
I’m making a spongebob tier cake for my sons bday in a few weeks. Excited to try this recipe. I’ve never really worked much with fondant. There are characters and seaweed and coral.....etc. Will this hold up ok if I make its days to a week in advance? Like make it and color it and have the shapes and characters pre made and ready for when I make the cake later on. Should I store in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temp? Thanks a million!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes I have used LMF for covering cakes and making figures. I add about 1 tsp of tylose powder to 1 cup of fondant and mix it together to make it stiffer 🙂 You can store at room temperature.
Tiffany McMillan says
I'm making your fondant for some decorations on my niece's 1st birthday cake before and I'm not sure if I used enough water. Your recipe says 2 tbsp and your vid says 3 tbsp. I used 2, and it's a little dryer than don't know if I need to add a little more water to it or if I can.. If it's dry still do I just heat it up and knead it until it isn't? Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can def add more water if it seems dry. This recipe has been updated for the new Wilton fondant which is a bit softer than the older stuff but if you're in a dry area and need more water, totally ok.
Marcus says
Hi i'm baking a cake for my mom for mothers day/my birthday they fall on the same day this year but i don't have a table scale of any sorts. I have the measurements to the powdered sugar and marshmallows but I cant seem to find the measurements to the fondant. Also what do I do since I don't have the hook attachment. Can you help me please i need to plan ahead.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Be careful with not using a scale, there is a big chance your fondant will not turn out. I would suggest just buying the fondant if you can't use a scale
Jenn says
Love this recipe!! I made it last night! So easy and tastes amazing!! thanks so much!!! I'm new to using fondant and I did a few things differently in the recipe (ie not.sifting icing sugar) and I only did half the recipe as well and it made a lot!!! And it still turned out AMAZING ??? so thank you !!
Krish says
Hi i want to make vegan fondant which means i can only use Dandies marshmallow. Will i be able to make it using this and vegan marshmallow fluff?
Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
I really don't know, I am not an expert in vegan recipes 🙂
Joy A says
Hi I wanted to know if you can refrigerate this fondant?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Debra Hawthorne says
I am baking cookies and using the fondant to cover them. Can I use a letter stamper on this fondant? Will the letters be sharp and clear? Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Most definitely
Debra Hawthorne says
Thank you. My icing (your recipe) was perfect and the cookies were iced and stamped beautifully .
Ness says
Hi, Could I use dark coloring powder while mixing fondant without dissolving the powder first
The Sugar Geek Show says
I haven't ever tried that before but I would think it might be a little speckled
Nicole Kasal says
Recipe was easy and color was spot on (used americolor royal blue). However when I got to the stretching like taffy stage it would break. Tried heating up a few times and it would seem to do the trick but never fully there. I sealed it in a ziplock in case it's okay or fixable? I was remaking for my sons birthday Sunday. I have time for a backup plan! Thanks. Oh the premade fondant I used was the sunny side up brand from hobby lobby if that makes a difference
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes, the type of fondant that you add in can make a huge difference.
Nora says
Hello Sugargeek,
l have a question concerning the LMF, l always use your lmf for my cakes but the last two times l did, despite all l did, the fondant was tearing and breakeing when l lift to cover the cake. l would like to know what would have happened.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sometimes when that happens to me, the marshmallows I have used are a little old and that can cause the marshmallows to be dry
Tiffany says
What quart size stand mixer did you use??? I want to try this. But I don’t have a mixer so I’d have to buy one.
The Sugar Geek Show says
The smallest size, its a 4.5 quart
Ms K says
When do I add the food coloring??
The Sugar Geek Show says
It depends on what color you are making. If it's a light color you can add it after you make it and color as needed, if it's a dark color check out my black, purple or red fondant tutorial
Candice Gilkison says
I'm a self taught homebaker and used to hate working with fondant. Elephant skin and tearing ALWAYS happened and I felt defeated. I saw your recipe and omg it's amazing! I covered my cake and didnt have those issues nor did i feel like i wasted a ton of the fondant. If I could give this a million stars i would. LMF is the only fondant I'll ever use! Thank you so much for sharing and for making fondant less scary! I love all your work!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Aww thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked this fondant recipe!
Sorcha Bee says
Professional badass over here! LOL, half kidding. I've worked in bakeries since I was nineteen decorating cakes. For the last year have been pushing myself at a huge wholesale facility in Portland to turn a decade of messing around into a career as an artisan decorator and pastry chef. I found myself this morning staring at ten ounces of Wilton fondant (read: not enough) and a tight deadline and *finally* got around to trying this recipe. It's been on my to do list for ages. The bag of marshmallows was staring me down, and I thanked my lucky stars I brought some SMBC home from work so I could use the last bag powdered sugar on my self for fondant. Anyway, long story short you saved my butt and I am totally converted. Why did it take me so long to try this recipe? Beautiful results. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes and joining your website at some point. You're an inspiration! <3
The Sugar Geek Show says
Glad I could help a fellow Portlander out <3
Martha says
Hi Liz
I think you're great and it's awesome that you freely share your awesome recipe. I actually have made it several times and the last time I made it, it came out really dry. Am going to try to use different marshmallows to see if the walmart brand that i recently used just changed. Does it matter which size marshmallows, just as long as it's a total of 1 lb? Thanks again, you're awesome!
The Sugar Geek Show says
It doesn't matter the size as long as they are moist and not dried out. The marshmallows are the main ingredient so if they are off then the fondant will be off
Tee says
Hello. I need help
I made both white and red fondant following instructions. The white fondant is rather firm and on the dry side. On the other hand the red is very soft and almost sticky. How can I fix them both?
The Sugar Geek Show says
The white is probably just a little dry. You can get your hands wet and knead that water into the fondant to make it a little less dry. Next time don't add in all the sugar. The red fondant is softer because of the added food coloring. You can add more powdered sugar into the fondant